IP
address is not a new term for internet users. It doesn't matter
whether you are a techie or not. You must have across many situations
when you have a glimpse of the IP addresses.

Let
us first understand what an IP
address
means. Every computer has an IP address. IP address is a significant
term used in computer world for allowing one computer to interact
with another through the internet medium. With the help of IP
address, one can differentiate the numerous computer systems that are
connected.

Let
us study an example. If your friend wants to mail you some
information regarding business or college studies or even trip
details, then he will need your email address to communicate. On the
same parlance, if a remote computer wants to communicate with your
computer, then it needs your IP address.

IP
stands for Internet
Protocol.
Internet Protocol refers to a set of rules or standards that regulate
the internet domain and help in completion of requisite actions on
the World Wide Web. We can say that Internet Protocol is an important
component of the regulatory framework governing internet domain. An
IP address is comprised of four numbers. An example of IP address is
75.125.0.209. This number plays an important role in sending and
receiving messages over the internet medium.

The
two types of IP addresses are: Static address or dynamic address. As
the name suggests, static addresses do not change and are the
permanent address of the website. These addresses also help in
disclosing information regarding country, region, city, etc. On the
other hand, dynamic addresses are temporary in nature. When a
computer acquires an access to the internet, a dynamic IP address is
assigned to it.

Addressing:
IP offers a methodology for addressing. It allocates unique addresses
to the devices located on the network.

Data
Formatting and Packaging: IP is involved in acceptance of data,
packaging of data and its transmission as per special procedures.

Fragmentation
and Reassembly: IP performs fragmentation of the data packets so that
they can be transmitted over the network. Subsequently, the
reassembly task is also performed by IP to re-start the process.

Routing/Indirect
Delivery: The direct delivery involves protocols such as LAN, WAN and
WLAN. Indirect delivery methods involve devices such as routers. IP
collaborates with other protocols such as RIP, BGP, etc.

IP
is a part of the term TCP/IP
which
is widely used in the internet industry. In order to understand IP
and IP addresses, one should also know what is meant by TCP/IP.

TCP/IP
stands for Transmission Control Protocol/ Internet Protocol. The
concept of TCP/IP was formulated by bob Kahn and Vint Cerf in the
year 1978. It us a set of standards that govern the communication
between the computers over internet medium. In simple terms, TCP/IP
explains the computers regarding proper packaging of information into
packets, mechanism of sending and receiving this information and the
way it should reach the ultimate destination.

As
the name indicates, TCP/IP is the combination of two different sets
of protocol namely, Transmission Control Protocol and Internet
Protocol. Hence, TCP and IP are combined to form TCP/IP. The IP
standards entail the mechanism of routing the packets over the
networks. It explains to the packets where it is supposed to go and
how it should reach that place or system. Just imagine a real life
situation in which workers in a mine pass the boulders to each other.
TCP/IP works in similar fashion. Any computer present on the internet
can share a packet to other computers. In this ways, the information
is shared from one computer to another computer over the internet.

The
Transmission Control Protocol is allotted another responsibility. It
ensures reliable and effective communication of data and information
between the inter-connected devices over the internet. TCP has
stringent role in governing the internet activity. It conducts checks
on the packers to detect errors. If any errors are found during
transmission of packets, then it forwards requests for
re-transmission of packets.

Following
are the three commonly used TCP/IP protocols that one needs to
remember:

1.
HTTP - It stands for Hyper Text Transfer Protocol. This protocol
helps in communication between a web server and a web client. Mostly,
non-secure data transmissions take place using this protocol.

2.
HTTPS - Secure data transmissions take place between web client and
a web server using HTTPS.

3.
FTP - FTP, File Transfer Protocol, is used for sending and
receiving data between two or more computers.

As
it is difficult to remember TCP/IP for all websites we visit, a
domain name is used. A web address is easy to remember instead of a
string of numbers.

Another
term connecting to the internet domain is
IPv4.
As IP was revised on gradual basis, the fourth revision is known as
IPv4. This protocol is used on a large scale in the field of data
communication over various types of networks and networking systems.
IPv4 identifies each device in the packet-switched layer networks and
helps in establishment of a logical connection. The two types of ways
of configuring these devices are manual and automatic configurations.

Following
are significant features of IPv4:

1.
It is connectionless protocol.

2.
It used in packet-switched layer networks like Ethernet.

3.
It utilizes 32-bit addresses in case of Ethernet Communication.

4.
The five classes of IPv4 are A, B, C, D and E.

5.
It can assign up to 232 host addresses to the end users.

Thus,
IPv4 is developed for usage in interconnected systems. It is utilized
for identifying devices on a network via an addressing system. This
revision of the Internet Protocol is widely used by the internet
users.

Thus,
IP plays a vital role in internetworking. Hence, before understanding
the modern networking technology, one should have a basic knowledge
of the IP, its role, functions and so on. It is true that IP is a
complex term as it performs numerous important functions across the
globe. We have explained some of the basic concepts above.

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